travelling-blogger

comments

One in seven British travellers admits to being drunk on the plane flying to their holiday destination, according to a survey.

Half of these (49 per cent) confess to knocking back alcoholic beverages at the airport, while the remainder said they start drinking once they have boarded the plane.

When asked why, 39 per cent of holidaymakers said they had got drunk en route to their destination because they wanted to get into the 'holiday spirit'.

Getting into the holiday spirit: 61% of Brits that get drunk en route to their destination are travelling with friends

Twenty-eight per cent said they had a few drinks to calm their nerves about flying, while 20 per cent said they had got intoxicated to 'pass the time'.

The majority of Brits who admitted being drunk on a flight (61 per cent) said they were going on a holiday with friends, 22 per cent were with a partner, and 3 per cent were travelling with children.  

Almost one third of respondents, 31 per cent, admitted to feeling uncomfortable or slightly nervous on a flight when they noticed one or more passengers displaying drunken behaviour. 

The survey found that as many as one in seven holidaymakers are drunk on a flight

Some 2,614 Britons aged 18 and over, all of whom had been on holiday abroad in the past 12 months were quizzed about their journey by flight comparison website Jetcost.co.uk.

Initially all respondents were asked: 'Roughly how early did you arrive at the airport before your flight?' 

The average answer was three hours and 52 minutes before departure. 

Following on from this, all respondents were then asked what they did with their time between arriving at the airport and boarding their flight.

All were provided with a list of possible responses and told to select all that applied, with having a drink as the top result (57 per cent), followed by: wandering around the shops (51 per cent); sit and waiting to board the flight (36 per cent); have something to eat (31 per cent) and; only had time to check in and board (29 per cent). 

Antoine Michelat, co-founder of Jetcost.co.uk, said: 'Boarding a flight whilst drunk is never a wise decision; even the nicest of people can act completely out of character whilst under the influence,'

57% of Brits questioned said they have a drink at an airport bar while waiting to board their flight

Holidaymakers revealed a mid-flight tipple was to help them get into the 'holiday spirit'

'That mixed with a few hours, at least, in a confined space with a bunch of people can lead to all sorts of situations.Also, some airlines are strict about allowing passengers to board when they've had one too many.'

'You don't really want the first day of your holiday to be ruined because you're too drunk, or have too much of a hangover, to be able to enjoy it. 

'Having a drink or two on the plane to relax and get in the holiday mood is never a bad idea, as long as you don't go too over the top!' 

However, according to the poll, 31 per cent of Britons feel uncomfortable or nervous when there are drunk passengers on their flight. 

31% of Britons feel uncomfortable or nervous when there are drunk passengers on board

Still, one in seven Brits admit to having been drunk during their flight to their last holiday destination abroad, with almost half of these having started drinking in the airport.

The other half of passengers surveyed waited until they'd boarded.

The study quizzed over 2600 Britons, aged 18 and over, all of whom had gone abroad for a holiday (via flight) in the past 12 months. 

The travellers were initially asked, 'How early did you arrive at the airport before your flight?' with the average answer being almost four hours ahead of their scheduled departure.